urbanSTL

I still believe a water park attached to a hotel proposal or next to a major city attraction is still going to find its way somewhere between downtown and Forest Park 

I wouldn't be surprised if LHM explored the idea for Union Station redevelopment.  Take shark tank to new level with enclosed glass water slide going through it and or if a water park it is part of a proposed theme hotel at the Zoo/old Forest Park Hospital site.  Heck, I think a water park somehow tied to City Museum and or part of Landing Development would work as well.  For landing, maybe instead of Shark tank it would be for a Monster Catfish tank in a nod to big muddy nearby.  Plan it right and part of the slide might be under flood waters or add one of those cool floating pools/sunbathing deck within and on a barge on the big muddy   

dredger wrote: I still believe a water park attached to a hotel proposal or next to a major city attraction is still going to find its way somewhere between downtown and Forest Park 

I wouldn't be surprised if LHM explored the idea for Union Station redevelopment.  Take shark tank to new level with enclosed glass water slide going through it and or if a water park it is part of a proposed theme hotel at the Zoo/old Forest Park Hospital site.  Heck, I think a water park somehow tied to City Museum and or part of Landing Development would work as well.  For landing, maybe instead of Shark tank it would be for a Monster Catfish tank in a nod to big muddy nearby.  Plan it right and part of the slide might be under flood waters or add one of those cool floating pools/sunbathing deck within and on a barge on the big muddy   

Indoor water park at the butlers brothers building would be awesome. Could you imagine that old fortress type building completely gutted with water slides and pools inside. It would be a year round attraction and have a pretty big pool. Also, some good ancillary development in my opinion. 

Ferris Wheel legs are on the ground ready to go up. Could possibly happen today. 

Is that sign completed?

It seems half done.

I'm hoping it ends up saying...

"St. Louis Aquarium
Union Station"

Looks like they left room for the words you want.


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I hope they repair & repaint the shed structure. 

^^ I had that same thought about the "name" a couple days ago. But it looks like they're already adding to it.

^ I've seen people on the roof for months. It looks like they installed a new waterproof barrier on all the "roof" sections. But I agree that the metal structural components could benefit from a new coat of paint. It suspect it's likely coming.

Well I got a photo of the sign last night (with a pretty cool sunset) but Flickr seems to be having issues right now. 
Last night the sign read: 
"UIS AQUARIUM 
UNION STATION ~~"

They've also gutted the Hard Rock building. You can see straight through it from the main entrance to the back patio. 

aprice wrote: Well I got a photo of the sign last night (with a pretty cool sunset) but Flickr seems to be having issues right now. 
Last night the sign read: 
"UIS AQUARIUM 
UNION STATION ~~"

They've also gutted the Hard Rock building. You can see straight through it from the main entrance to the back patio. 

Is Hard Rock done in STL - or are they looking for a new spot?

Best I could do from my vantage point.


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That sidewalk down the west side of 18th next to Union Station really needs to be redone. It's extremely uneven and those mostly unused tree planter cutouts knock it down to one person wide every few feet. It's pretty terrible for a tourist destination next to a transit stop.

The Ferris wheel is taking shape today.

BellaVilla wrote: I am unimpressed by almost everything about this redevelopment. Thank god for the aquarium

How so? curious what you think is the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I think the Ferris Wheel is a gimmick and wish the dollars went into even a bigger aquarium.  But outside of the Ferris wheel, restoring the old ticket lobby and keeping/expanding/refreshing the hotel was a big win as well as giving Union Station some much needed stability and probably a big reason why they have been able to do some work on the shed roof itself.  Replacing the outdated mall, retail space with a legitimate aquarium instead of another entertainment destination was a smart move.  The rest of the development under the shed is cosmetic and can be repurposed in time.   Plus, I think it will get better if ground is broken for MLS stadium next door. 

As far as Union Station being reborn as a full blown train station?  That train left the station a long time ago and St. Louis truly doesn't have the metro size nor is downtown a big enough jobs center to even think you can have something on scale of say Chicago Union Station with its multiple Metra trains or Grand Central Station in Manhattan or even San Frans 4th street Caltrains station for that matter.  It is not going happen no matter how many tracks you put back under the shed because their is simply not the demand for what Union Station was original built for.   

^ You're not wrong about downtown not being a big enough jobs center but the St Louis metro is bigger than Amsterdam, for example, a place that has world class public transportation and train stations. We have plenty of people. The problem is where they live, where they work, and how they get to work...

Isn't this the same team as Westport Plaza? That's not particularly my thing, but they're managing to hold it together and keep it going. I have a bit of faith that they know what they're doing.

Yes, I believe same folks.   

BellaVilla makes some good points.  Ferris will get its 15 minutes but aquarium will have some staying power.  But what happens once a MLS stadium is built next door, street grid added to west downtown and some more development.....   Does Union Station go down the road of more gimmicks or does LHM start looking at adding more square footage under the shed or to the south footage whether it more rooms & conference space, maybe office (think Westport Plaza) or could you even see a residential/mixed use added in the future?

From Arch City over at Skyscraper page (you have to look closely):  

^Cool.  I hadn't thought about how visible that will be looking down Clark, especially lit up.  It is almost perfectly centered too.

Also don't forget that LHM also gave us 360 at the Ballpark Hilton, the light show at Union Station and breathed new life into the Cheshire. I'll trust they know what they are doing.

Not sure where to put this, it might be stadium or Union Station development related, or neither:

The half-block directly south of the Drury Inn & Suites was sold to Bi-State Development Agency, by Holloran Redevelopment Corp last week.  That property partially sits above the MetroLink Union Station tunnel entrance.

Geo St. Louis - 222 S 21st St